Wednesday 28 October 2015

Home from hols back to work

Had a great time in Mallorca despite a burglary on day one and losing my laptop (grrrr!) and some mixed weather. Active hols with friends and family swimming, biking and a little climbing too!

Back to work for the last 2 days running an SPA Training at Active Outdoors with a dry first day, Glenmore Lodge's climbing we all in the evening and a soggy day 2.

 The boy prefers to climb barefoot!
 Kaye's getting into it too
Last morning (no filter!)
 Kingussie Crag
 An Aussie converting to our Brit Awards
The Glenmore Lodge wall

Friday 9 October 2015

Teaching Indoor lead climbing

Today I was working with the 9 Abernethy Trust Trainee Instructors at their centre in Ardgour. I always get a nice reception from the staff here and the trainees were keen as well. The brief today was to get them all lead climbing on their indoor wall at the centre and with 9 of them I roped in Max to help out. We both enjoyed our day and I really like getting to put into practise all of the tips and tricks I give out when running CWLA courses. Looks like the team will have a great year!











Monday 5 October 2015

SPA Assessment

We were all up at the crack of dawn to get to some dry rock ahead of the rain today. We visited Kips Crag above Menstrie but which is a pleasant if small natural andesite outcrop. The team pretty much ticked the crag before the rain came and it was time for us to hit the wall at Glasgow Climbing Centre.









Friday 2 October 2015

One of the best day's I've ever had out on Ben Nevis

I'll let the pics speak for themselves.
Ruairidh led Alan up- well done him given that he found Tower Ridge pretty mind blowing the first time I guided him up it.
Amazing weather conditions with Ben Nevis alone in a perfect cloud sea for much of the day!



















Thursday 1 October 2015

Ruairidh becomes a climber

So about a year ago Ruairidh came to me with a long term plan to become a climber and a mountaineer. He's been guided up a few things but wanted to do it for himself.
Since then we've been summer and winter mountaineering and single and multi pitch rock climbing and done a few winter routes. He's also filled in skills acquisition charts and been grilled on what he's learnt by me at every opportunity- made to be mindful about every step and drilled in little tips to try and make his performance on the hill a little stronger.
Today he and Alan joined me to go to Buachaille Etive Mor. We soloed up Curved Ridge and he and I swung leads on Agag's Groove both bringing Alan up too. We then scrambled down Curved Ridge with one abseil he helped set up.
Nice one mate- making a better fist of it than many climbers on their first big route!
Nice one to Alan too- not many 69 year olds enjoying that day and setting a pace on the walk out to make me sweat!
Cheers to the two lads who let us jump the queue (one of whom hadn't done the route for almost 40 years!) and nice to see Kenny, James and Ali all out enjoying the impeccable weather too!
 Solo up Curved Ridge
 Ruairidh on the shape end on pitch 2
 alan relaxing with an orange
 Congestion on the middle ledge
 Its raining sunshine on Curved Ridge
 Topping out
 Ruairidh has it all under control
 Down Curved Ridge
 Rannoch Wall still busy
What a day!